The evening world., 1887-11-14
BOYCOTTING THE OPERATORS.
HOW KNIGHTS OF LABOR WILL AID THE
LEHIGH MINERS.
storekeepers and Business Men In the VAL
ley Will BE Asked to Join the Movement
Expected to Withdraw Their Traffic
from the LehiRh Valley Railrond Ar
rangemcnts for a Benefit Entertainment
ESPECIAL TO THE EVENING woRLp.I


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 14.-Friends of the
striking miners of the Lehigh coal fields yes
terday decided to employ the boycott as a
weapon against the leading corporations and
firms in the Lehigh region whom they regard
as the most dangerous adversaries in the
present struggle.
While the output of coal shipped by the
Lehigh operators has heretofore been made
the object of the boycott, the measure will
from now on be directed against the opera
tors themselves and their business interests.
Yesterday afternoon a secret meeting of
leaders in railroad employees organizations
was held downtown and at this meeting the
foregoing plan of action was adopted. There
were thirty-fi five persons present, representa-
tiyes of Pennsylvania Railroad Employees
District Assembly 212; Reading Railroad En-
ployees' Convention and employees of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad, with a number of
representative miners. The situation of the
strike was discussed in detail and numerous
schemes were advanced that were calculated
to aid the striking miners. The determine
ton to boycott the Lehigh operators, how
ever. was the feature of the meeting and the
discussion that led to it occupied the greater
part of their time.
Rather than allow their organization to be
crushed, therefore, it was determined yester.
day by the leaders in the conference to insti-
tute a boycott on the Lehigh. Coal and
Navigation Company. the Lehigh Valley
Railroad, A. Pardee & Sons and Eckley b.
Coke & Co.
In this step the Knights believe they will
be aided by the leading business men of the
entire Lehigh region, and it is proposed that
immediate steps be taken to enforce the
boycott in Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, Potts
vile, Centralia, Ashland and in other towns
along the line of the Lehigh Valley road.
The business men and small merchants are
already organized in these and other
towns for the purpose of contributing
moral and financial aid to the
support of the miners, and these business
men will be asked to refuse to patronize the
highways or products of the interdicted
roads and corporations. And if merchants,
for instance, should patronize the Lehigh
Valley road in the transportation of their
goods the Knights in the various towns will
refuse to deal with them. As a consequence
the merchants and business men will be ex-
pected to withdraw their traffic from the
Lehigh Valley road. The boycott will be in
stituted, it is said, within the coming week.
Extensive arrangements have been made
for the benefit entertainment which will be
given in the AcadelsL sof Music on Nov, 26 in
aid of the Lehigh miners. Special trains
will bring delegations of knights from all
over the Reading Railroad. and at the close
Of the performance, which will be Legar-
dere or, the Hunchback of Paris" a pro-
cession will be formed of the visiting
Knights, who will be escorted to the railroad
station by several bands of music.